"I see. Because the school's music atmosphere is strong, bands have become the mainstream. To that end, you want to logically become the top of the campus by taking on the position of guitarist and lead vocalist..."
After hearing the whole story behind Anon's idea to form a band, Chihaya Tetsuya nodded in understanding.
"In other words, you're not interested in the band itself, but you want to use this method to gain more recognition and attention."
"Guh—"
Hearing Chihaya Tetsuya's blunt words, Chihaya Anon hugged her guitar and hesitated for a long moment before letting out a faint sigh.
"Alright, that's basically it. If this school was sports-focused, I probably would have just joined a sports club... Um, in your eyes, Brother, is this reason still too childish?"
"Hm...? Not at all."
Chihaya Tetsuya shook his head decisively.
"The desire to attract others' attention and gain their recognition is perfectly normal. Otherwise, why do you think the concept of 'fashion' even exists in this world?"
Besides... leaving others aside, wasn't it for the same desire that even Ai, who once hated lies, chose to become an idol?
...
"I don't intend to negate your motives or goals. However, there's one thing I must remind you of."
"Mhm, what is it?"
"Since your school has a strong music atmosphere, by the same token, the difficulty of standing out with music will also increase... It's like how students at a fashion college will always buy the latest clothes from magazines to look stylish. Forming a band will, at most, only let you blend into that atmosphere. It won't automatically make you popular."
"!"
Hearing these words, Chihaya Anon's eyes widened unnaturally.
Clearly, she hadn't considered this problem before.
In middle school, she had received a lot of praise and recognition with her beginner-level guitar skills, so she subconsciously thought she could easily replicate that experience.
But the truth was just as Chihaya Tetsuya had said: the more people playing in bands, the harder it would be to become one of the best...
"It seems you haven't thought about this problem."
Seeing his sister's dumbfounded expression, Chihaya Tetsuya sighed.
"In that case... wouldn't that just be repeating the same mistake from the UK?"
Without holding back, Chihaya Tetsuya bluntly exposed the yet-unhealed wound in his sister's heart.
"Th-That's different!"
On the other side, hearing her brother's questioning, Chihaya Anon's hands subconsciously stopped moving. Then, as if eager to deny something, Chihaya Anon replied at a rapid pace:
"This is just forming a band with classmates for fun, it's like keeping up with a trend, it's not as hard as studying abroad in the UK—"
"Before you went to the UK, you didn't think you'd encounter so many difficulties there either, did you? But how did it actually turn out?"
Chihaya Tetsuya cut Chihaya Anon off directly.
"Although I don't understand music or bands, I do know about your guitar level, Anon... After all, I've basically never seen you practice guitar at home."
"..."
Chihaya Anon was speechless.
And Chihaya Tetsuya continued to add:
"Think about it, Anon. If you really form a band hastily with just the mentality of wanting to be popular, compared to other classmates who practice seriously and even plan to make it their goal in the future, can your half-hearted attitude really help you achieve your goal? In middle school, you could still use your youth and immaturity to cover up many problems, but you're a high school student now. Relying on sheer luck is definitely not enough."
"I, I..."
Chihaya Tetsuya's overly sharp and incisive words instantly pierced Chihaya Anon's heart, and even the weight of the guitar in her arms inexplicably felt heavier.
[Chihaya-san... is just a beginner, after all.]
[Her playing is terrible. Chihaya-san doesn't know how to play the guitar at all, does she?]
[Maybe she should just give up on the band thing.]
In her mind, scenes of failure began to become concrete and three-dimensional, bringing with them all the failures she had experienced in the UK from the depths of her consciousness, making Chihaya Anon instantly feel as if her heart had fallen into an ice cave.
A sense of fear surged from the bottom of her heart like sludge, and the combined effect of palpitations and tension made her breathing become disordered.
She subconsciously wanted to put the guitar aside, trying to escape this pressure she was all too familiar with.
However, before she could loosen her hands, Chihaya Tetsuya immediately placed his own hand gently on the back of hers.
"Anon, calm down. Take a deep breath first."
It wasn't until she heard her brother's as-calm-as-ever tone that the increasingly realistic illusions in Chihaya Anon's mind gradually faded.
"What I just said was only a hypothetical... In reality, you haven't started forming a band yet, nor have you officially faced failure, so it's okay."
"..."
Feeling the touch on the back of her hand gradually warm from its initial coolness, Chihaya Anon's previously disordered breathing began to calm down.
"You're right... I really almost repeated the same mistake."
Chihaya Anon murmured with lingering fear:
"That's right, I'm not a middle school student anymore, and Haneoka isn't the kind of place where I can get by with a beginner's skill level... What was I thinking...?"
If it weren't for her brother's reminder, if she had really gone into this with only her middle school-level resolve, then what awaited her would have absolutely been a predictable failure.
"..."
On the other side, seeing that his sister seemed to have calmed down again, Chihaya Tetsuya released her hand and spoke again:
"Alright, let's go back to the original topic... There's nothing wrong with the motive of wanting to be popular. The question is, how much... 'ambition' do you have for this goal?"
Perhaps it was because of that not-yet-forgotten dream, but this word suddenly appeared in Chihaya Tetsuya's mind.
"Do you just want to blend into the school atmosphere? Or do you want to become a popular figure like you were in middle school? Or... are you planning to just give up on this immature idea?"
"..."
Hearing the words "give up," displeasure and resistance subconsciously welled up in Chihaya Anon's heart.
The failure of studying abroad in the UK was still a lingering nightmare for Chihaya Anon. Even though she had gradually come to accept reality with Chihaya Tetsuya's guidance, that didn't mean she could accept the blow and shame of "giving up" one more time—
"I don't want to."
Chihaya Anon subconsciously clenched her fists.
"I absolutely don't want to experience that sense of failure again!"
"Good. Now, state your ambition, Anon."
"I want to be the most popular guitarist in the entire school—"
As if to solidify her own resolve, Chihaya Anon once again hugged the guitar in her arms tightly.
"And lead vocalist!"
"Mhm, that's more like it."
Hearing his sister's declaration, Chihaya Tetsuya smiled.
"Alright then, get ready. We're heading out."
"Heading out?"
Chihaya Anon couldn't help but be taken aback.
"Where are we going?"
"To buy things."
Chihaya Tetsuya said as he stood up from the sofa first.
"Although I don't understand guitars or bands, I know that a proper guitarist definitely needs more than just a guitar... and you just said you wanted to be the lead vocalist, right? So we'll definitely have to buy a microphone set for practicing vocals..."
"E-Eh?! W-Wait a minute!"
Chihaya Anon, who hadn't finished processing her emotions, looked at Chihaya Tetsuya with a bewildered expression.
"Brother, what you said just now... wasn't it to make me give up?"
"Of course not. I just wanted to make sure, as much as possible, that you wouldn't go through the same pain and regret as before."
Chihaya Tetsuya said as such:
"Now, since you have a clear ambition, there's only one thing for me to do... and that is to support you unconditionally."
"..."
Staring blankly at Chihaya Tetsuya's calm and matter-of-fact expression, a wave of warmth that was difficult to describe with words surged in Chihaya Anon's heart.
That's right. These words, as sharp as a sewing needle and as cutting as tailor's shears, were her brother's way of expressing love.
Not warm, but gentle enough. Unsparing, yet also holding nothing back.
"Sigh, I feel like my preferences are being warped... Mom, compared to Brother, I'm probably the one who won't be able to get married in the future." (muttered)
"Hm? What did you just say, Anon?"
"Nothing!"
Chihaya Anon said as she put her guitar back into its case.
"This Golden Week... I'll do my best."
Whether for herself, or for her brother.
Gazing at the back that gave her infinite strength and warmth, Chihaya Anon was now filled with determination.